Boston College didn’t need a clean shooting night to handle UMass on Friday afternoon at TD Garden. The Eagles leaned on defense, toughness and a big scoring burst from Money Williams to pull away for a 71-55 win in a local matchup between two 1-0 teams.
BC opened with good movement and plenty of open looks, but the threes weren’t dropping. UMass took advantage early by attacking the paint, cutting hard and building a 14-6 lead after five minutes.
The Eagles stayed patient and kept playing at a quick pace. Once they stopped forcing shots from deep, Brandon Benjamin started making his presence felt inside.
He scored on two contested lay-ins, helped on the glass and chipped away at the deficit. Money Williams then added his own shot creation, driving into the lane and turning those trips into a pair of mid-range jumpers.
That stretch brought Boston College within two and helped swing momentum back toward the Eagles.
UMass kept battling on the boards and around the rim, but BC began forcing turnovers and drawing fouls to wrest control back. The game got increasingly choppy as the first half wound down, with both teams flying around for loose balls.
UMass head coach Frank Martin was highly animated on the sideline, yelling at his players and the refs after some calls went against him. Boston College used that energy to its advantage and went to halftime up 37-35.
The Eagles’ 1/15 shooting from three-point range kept that margin from being much larger.
Benjamin kept rolling after the break. He made a couple of strong defensive plays in the paint, then got involved offensively with a foul drawn, a dunk and a kick-out to the corner on the next end.
Boston College played with confidence and physicality, refusing to let the cold perimeter shooting throw it off. The Eagles kept driving into contact, taking charges and doing the little things that helped them build on the lead.
The outside shot never really came around - BC finished 3/27 from three - but Williams eventually found his rhythm and the Eagles’ execution took over. Boston College forced 13 turnovers while committing just 3 of its own, and Williams carried the offense with 35 points. Benjamin continued to make plays inside as the Eagles ground out a 71-55 win to move to 2-0.
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The bigger concern for Boston College is how quickly the margin got away from it before the comeback effort could settle in. Vermont tacked on a power-play goal and later an empty-netter to close things out, a reminder that BCs record now sits at 2-5-1 overall and 1-2-0 in league play, with too many problems surfacing before the Eagles can even get to their game. [Read more 🡒]